One common problem when looking for something to do with your family is trying to find activities that will appeal to all ages. Fortunately, there are tons of such attractions in Michigan ranging from zoos to basketball games.

Planetariums and Museums

Kids will love seeing the stars light up in a planetarium, and parents who are astronomy buffs will love leaning about the solar system and the universe. You can almost always find room in a planetarium near you, and there are even often special themes for different nights at each facility. A great place to visit is the Abrams Planetarium at the M.S.U. Campus in East Lansing. There’s a “sky theater” there that can be booked ahead of time.

The Cranrook Institute of Science offers both a natural history and a science museum with a T-Rex skeleton exhibit. There are few children in the world that don’t love dinosaurs, after all. The museum also features a planetarium for children of all ages, and an observatory for a more straight forward view.

Zoos

You’re definitely never too old or too young to appreciate how much fun animals like alligators or kangaroos are. Taking your family to the zoo makes it easier for everyone to do the same thing but enjoy it on different levels. Younger kids can have fun just seeing animals for the first time, while older kids may have fun feeding the animals by hand, and adults can learn new things about the animals from the signs. Some examples of zoos in Michigan include the following:

Amusement Parks

Amusement parks are known for having very soft rides for small children, and very large intense roller coaster for adults, making them perfect for a family to go to together. There are many good amusement parks in Michigan.

Michigan’s Adventure is one of Michigan’s largest parks and it has family rides so that the entire family can go on one ride instead of having to split up. The family rides here include:

Be-Bop Blvd with electric cars

Carousels

The Giant Gondola wheel

Frog Hopper—This ride begins your family up in the air, then gives them a ride on the way down!

Basketball Games

Basketball is one of those games that defies age boundaries, as it appeals to both young and old. Michigan is a state full of opportunities to watch basketball games. For example, you can buy Michigan Wolverines basketball tickets easily online. The Wolverines play in the NCAA Division I and Big Ten Conference at the Crisler Arena. This activity is especially exciting during the March Madness competition each year.

With a little digging, you can easily find the perfect place to go that your family won’t fight over. It’s much better if everyone is enthusiastic about the same place, after all.

Note: Many people have expressed an interest into our thoughts and feelings since starting to travel long term. Most of our articles and blog posts do not describe the emotions we feel and how, as a family, we are affected by long term travel. It has now been 4 months since we sold everything we own, quit our jobs, and began our journey eastward with the goal of circling the globe. We now have a taste of the road and would like to share our thoughts and feelings with all of you. We will have three posts, one from each of us, describing our current state of mind. Enjoy…

It is hard to believe that we are now at our 4-month anniversary of being on the road. My husband, Jason, recently asked me has it been worth it i.e. selling practically everything we own, leaving good, stable jobs, pulling our daughter Sydney out of school, spending over $9,000 so far, leaving family and going to travel the world. My answer was an emphatic yes; I want to continue this journey. Our journey has not always been fun, exciting, or amazing and yes at times, I have longingly thought about “home” and extended family. Despite these bumps on the road, I am hoping that we will be able to extend our travel beyond 2 years.

Our story in the Oregonian Newspaper

Given that this is our 4 month anniversary of being on the road, I thought I might share some my impressions of our journey so far, the things that I miss and the changes that I am hoping we will continue to sustain once we are done traveling. I am sure that this list will change as we travel and I will probably laugh about what I wrote 2 years from now, but for prosperity sake here it goes.

One of the main reasons we decided to travel was to spend more time with each other. Previous to traveling, both Jason and I were working full time. Though Jason’s schedule was much more predictable, I would typically find myself staying late at work, up to 1 to 2 hours multiple times a week to call one more care management patient, to help in the clinic or to get my never ending charting done. Although being a Nurse Care Manager gave me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, I would frequently find that I was feeling sorry for myself, as I was still at work and missing out on an activity with Jason and Sydney.

So how is it now? I am sure the real question that everyone really wants to know about, are you sick of each other yet? Overall, No! I wake up most days thinking that I really love our life and appreciate the time that we have together. True, some days I do get frustrated or annoyed with Jason or Sydney over something trivial and I will have these fleeting thoughts that work is so much easier. Despite the annoyances, it is all worth it. I am enjoying that fact that I have so much time to spend with my family. I feel like I am learning so much more about Sydney and Jason that I never knew. I love seeing how Sydney thinks, how she learns and what makes her laugh. I also love watching her become increasingly independent of us. I have been told in no uncertain terms by Sydney I can no longer refer to the bathroom as the potty! I also feel that my relationship with Jason has deepened and that we our much more intimate with each other.

One of the things that I find the hardest about being on the road is missing extended family. I don’t know why, but these last couple of weeks I have really been missing my family. In fact, I woke up last week in the middle of the night realizing that my parents could die at any moment. I know that this is far from being profound as everyone dies. But somehow, I just could not get rid of the pressing sadness this thought brought on. I am currently getting teary-eyed again just writing this. Sheeesh…My parents reassure me that they are very healthy and have no intention of dying any time soon. But it still makes me realize how fleeting life is and how important it is to live life without regrets.

My mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law in New Mexico with Jason and Sydney

My dad and I just before we flew to Paris

As my husband can attest, I am a constant worrier. Before we left I would lay awake with all these what-ifs running through my mind. Not surprisingly all these what-ifs around home schooling, quitting my job, not having a home, and the language barrier that kept me awake at night have not come to fruition. Sigh…all that energy wasted on the constant what-ifs. However as we have travelled, I have encountered several unexpected things.

I am finding that after a month stay in each place, it is bitter sweet to move on to our next place. With our current method of traveling, we are in a weird in-between. We are not tourists briefly getting a glimpse of a place, but we are also not locals who know and love a place. Just as we start to get to know an area, people start recognizing us, and we start making friends, it is time to leave again. Over the month, our apartment or house begins to feel like a “home” and I find myself feeling sad and conflicted about leaving. Part of me is ready to move onto the next adventure, but part of me wants to be surrounded by the comfort of the familiar.

One surprising difficulty is finding children Sydney’s age to play with. Part of the difficulty I think is due to the time of year, as most children are in school. However, Galya, the person who owns the apartment, gave me a powerful lesson the other day. I had mentioned the difficulty of meeting other children Sydney’s age to Galya. She had noticed children across the hall in our apartment building and promptly went over and knocked on the neighbor’s door explaining that Sydney would like to play. Happily they were willing to go out and play with her. I am typically someone who is shy around new people. I have this forever worry about not wanting to inconvenience someone or placing him or her in an awkward position. The lesson that Gayla provided me and one that I continue to learn over and over and over again in life and traveling is just ask. The worse that happens is someone says no. But in reality, most of the time, he or she is happy to oblige. Fortunately, Sydney is much more outgoing and adventuresome and is always game in meeting new people and making new friends. She does not have any of my inhibitions around meeting new people.

Sydney playing in France

Some may wonder if we miss the US. I find that the things that I miss about the US, besides family, are very superficial. These things are nice, but are by far not necessities in life. I miss having a huge water tank so I can take a long hot shower in the morning. I have never been a speedy person in the shower and I tend to do my best thinking in the shower. It was a bit of a shock to me to find that there is not an endless supply of hot water. Europe houses tend to have itty-bitty hot water tanks. A leisurely shower rapidly turns into a cold shower. I also miss dishwashers. So far we have yet to encounter a dishwasher and our next place does not have one either. I am blessed with a husband who does 99% of the cooking. So my job is doing the dishes. Some days I feel like my day is just consumed by dishes. I am sure Jason feels the same way about cooking. I also occasionally miss Netflix. Europe currently does not have access to Netflix, Amazon Prime, or any other streaming movie companies. Sometimes I longingly wish to plunk down on the couch with a pile of junk food and waste a couple hours watching a movie. Despite the lack of these conveniences, my life is much richer.

My thoughts will often drift to what kind of life that I want once we are settled again. Overall I want to be less of a consumer and much wiser in what I buy. I want to continue really questioning myself whether I need (insert item here) before buying said item. Before leaving, I was aware that the US is consumer oriented and there is the constant message to buy, buy, buy. Despite my being aware of this, I would find myself buying things I really did not need or want. However, experiencing Christmas outside the US helped me focus on what life is really about. It is not about what possessions we have, but about family and good food. I am also hoping that we can continue to be more thoughtful about the food we buy and waste less. I really like shopping daily which seems to make a huge difference in the amount of food we waste. I would also like to try getting by without a dryer. I really thought I was going to miss a dryer. But I find that it is just as easy to hang clothes up versus throwing them in the dryer. But most important change I would like to sustain is to continue focusing on family. I want to make about sure that I really spend time with my family and do not allow the day-to-day life distractions such as work, tv, Facebook, classes etc. consume me.

Fresh produce in Paris

After 120 days on the road, I have been able to see some amazing sites, meet some very interesting and kind people and learn interesting facts, but I have also learned much about my family and myself. Even if we had to stop traveling today, I would have no regrets about what we sacrificed to get here. I can honestly say I am looking forward to the next 20 months of travel with Jason and Sydney.

When it comes to breaks with the kids, not all destinations are created equal. Personally, I think Cardiff really stands out as a family-family holiday hotspot. For a start, it’s the home of Doctor Who, while it’s also got castles and activities aplenty.

My top three child-friendly picks in Cardiff are…

1) The Doctor Who Experience

What child doesn’t love Doctor Who? Not only is Cardiff the home of the show (the BBC studios where it’s shot are located on Cardiff Bay, while you can see lots of locations used in the programme around the city), but it’s also where you’ll find the amazing Doctor Who Experience.

The great thing about this attraction, in my opinion, is that it’s interactive. So, unlike museums where kids are repeatedly told not to touch, here they can go on an adventure they can participate in, helping the Doctor fight off his enemies! This experience includes exclusive footage of current Doctor Matt Smith, so it’s bound to be particularly exciting.

There’s a lot else to do besides the interactive side of things. For instance, you can browse the world’s biggest collection of Doctor Who-related paraphernalia – including all his famous costumes from 1963 onwards!

And, of course, an added bonus of coming here is that it’s just as exciting for adult fans of the series as it is for kids!

If you and the children really can’t get enough of Doctor Who, you’ll be glad to hear there are other themed things to do. For instance, you could take the Doctor Who Tour, which lasts around three hours and whisks you to all kinds of exciting locations from the series, including the village where Amy Pond grew up.

2) Cardiff Castle

Next on your list should be Cardiff Castle, which has an impressive history spanning 2,000 years. What’s great about coming here is the fact that families are well catered for, which means you and the kids will be able to follow a special family trail; with a series of questions to answer, you’ll find the answers around the castle. To see if you got everything right, you can check the attraction’s website.

Plus, lots of events are held here too. For instance, if you’re planning to visit Cardiff soon, you can come on March 24th as part of the Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival. Ages from three to 13 are catered for, with the Revolting Rhymes tea party open to four to eight-year-olds at 17:00.

3) Go Ape!

There are also lots of decent family-friendly attractions just outside of Cardiff. If your kids are aged ten or over and have an adventurous nature, I reckon they’ll absolutely love a trip to Go Ape!.

In case you’re not familiar with Go Ape!, it’s a forest-based adventure park that gives adults and children alike the chance to tackle high rope courses in forest canopies. There are a good few Go Ape! sites across the UK, but the nearest to Cardiff is in Margam Country Park.

Here, participants have to be a minimum of 1.40 m tall to participate, as well as aged at least ten years old. Among the things you can do are zipwire through forest canopies, climb rope ladders and have a go on the Tarzan Swing – it’s great fun!

Just as a final note, I recommend hiring a holiday cottage for your break (you can book these through companies like Sykes Cottages). After all, this’ll give you much more space than a traditional hotel, as well as the chance to create a homely atmosphere for the kids.

For this week’s Photo of the Week I was at a loss on what to post. For our month long stay in Denia, Spain we have taken some nice photos, but not too many that make you say “wow!” The only photo that really impressed me this past week was the one I took of my daughter’s eye. My daughter, Sydney, had been watching TV when I was playing around with a macro lens. Since she was transfixed by the Tv and completely motionless with the correct lighting, I thought I would take macro photos of her eye. At first this did not seem like a very good choice for a travel themed photo of the week, but after second thought, it was perfect. You see, we are taking our daughter on a 2-year around the world trip and what she sees through her eyes will be totally different than what we see. She is a mere child of only 8, yet she will see things most people can only dream of seeing and she will see it with an innocence we wish we still had. So, for this weeks photo, I present my daughter’s eye.

When we said that we were staying in Denia, Spain, for the month of February many asked, “Where is Denia?” And then proceeded to state “Hmm…. I will have to Google that.” When one thinks of Spain it is of the well known cities that you have heard of: Barcelona, Madrid, Selville, Toledo, or Granada, but not Denia, Spain. Honestly before we came to Denia, we had not heard of it before either and we had to Google it.

In case you don’t know Denia, Spain is located halfway down the coast on the Mediterranean Sea in the area known as Costa Blanca, approximately 1 hour south of Valencia. When we first arrived we were wondering what the heck were we going to do for a month. But as we have settled in and explored the area, we have been pleasantly surprised by the number of activities available, besides the obvious one of hanging out on the lovely beaches. So, we thought we might share some of the activities we have found.

Torre del Gerro

Torre del Gerro, which means “The Jar Tower” in Spanish, was built in the 16th century to watch for pirates and marauding Arabs. It perches prominently on the cliffs near Cape de Sant Antoni. The tower is well preserved and still has the crest of the Kingdom of Valencia on the front. Unfortunately, the tower itself is not accessible unless you are willing to do some serious scaling of walls. The path to Torre del Gerro is a paved road that goes almost all the way up to the base of the tower. However, if you are like us and do not have access to a car, it is approximately a 1 ½ mile walk from the center of town to the base of the hill. The road up to Torre del Gerro is somewhat steep, but well worth it. Besides the tower there are some phenomenal views of Denia, the Mediterranean, and Cape de Sant Antoni. and if you look around on the ground pottery shards from the 16th century can be found. Several hikes also start at the tower.

Torre del Gerro

16th Century Pottery

Siesta time

In keeping with the Spanish tradition of the siesta, after a walk to Torre del Gerro enjoy a nice café con leche in one of several restaurants at the base of cliff.

Hiking

Denia is situated at the base of Montgo Mountain. Montgo is a craggy mountain made of limestone, which sores 2,470 feet above Denia. Montgo Mountain has unique flora and fauna of Spain including wild lavender and the Pine Processionary Caterpillar. Just a word of warning, avoid the Pine Processionary Caterpillar at all cost as it can cause severe pain, itching, rash, and even temporary blindness. Thank our luckily stars, we did not pick up these innocent looking caterpillars.

Montgo Mountain has several trails including one that goes to the summit and to several caves. There are trails for all levels of fitness. We had the opportunity to hike to Cova de L’Agua, which means “Water Cave”. Cova de L’Agua was used by the Roman Military around 238 BC as an outpost to watch for invaders. Before entering the cave, one can still see the Roman inscriptions carved in the rock. Those Romans continue to surprise us, as they seemed to have been everywhere, at least in Europe that is! In the back of the cave is a natural pool of water that was used for irrigation in the 16th and 17th century. In the cave there is lots of “graffiti” other than the Roman “graffiti” where people have carved their name and date into the wall. The oldest carving, we were able to find dated back to 1873. During the summer, be sure to hike early in the morning and bring lots of water, as there is not a lot of shade along the trail and I imagine that it can get scorching hot. A free map of some of the trails can be picked up at the Tourist Office in the center of town.

Cova de L’Agua

Roman Inscription

Pine Processionary Caterpillars

Lavender

Hiking

Siesta time

Enjoy a nice picnic lunch along one of the many trails of Montgo

Biking

Boy was I excited when I found out that Denia is a wonderful place to ride bikes. The city of Denia has made this town very bicycle friendly even for small kids. Most of the paths are relatively flat and several bike paths do not allow motorized vehicles. There are also clearly marked bicycle lanes on several of the city roads and bike paths that connect to other local towns including Ondara, Xabia and El Verger. One of my favorite bike rides in Denia has been a path that meanders along the Mediterranean Sea. We have enjoyed biking along the path with frequent stops to explore many of the beaches.

Since we did not have a car while staying in Denia, we decided that getting around on bikes would work nicely for us. We found reasonable bike rentals for the month of February through Ring-Ring and the person helping us was very nice. www.ring-ring.es. There a numerous other bicycle rental options in Denia including through the city itself. Denia has several bike stations located throughout the city center and the cost is very reasonable. However, in order to use one of the city bikes, a pass needs to be purchased. The pass has the option for daily, weekly or monthly rentals. The city bikes can only be used for 2 hours at a time and must be returned to the station. If one exceeds the 2-hour time limit then the pass can be suspended. www.denibici.es. A map of some of the bike baths can be picked up at the Tourist Office.

Biking

Siesta Time

Enjoy a nice picnic and build a sand castle on the beach after riding along the Mediterranean.

Denia Castle

Denia Castle is located in the center of the city on a hill. It was built in the 11th century to help protect the port and the city has grown up around the castle. The cost to enter the castle is cheap, however very little of the castle itself survives today. Despite the fact that very little of the castle survives, it provides good views of the city and the port. Inside the castle is one of the 3 museums that are located in Denia and the entrance fee to the castle covers the cost for the museum. Although there are no signs in English in the museum, signs are really not needed. The museum contains lots of well-preserved amphora from Roman times and other antiquities found in Denia.

Denia Castle

Sydney at Denia Castle

Siesta Time

Time to enjoy melted chocolate with a churro at Valor located in the city center of Denia.

Horseback Riding

Before leaving on our round the world adventure, our daughter had been taking horse-riding lessons and has been missing this. We were excited to find reasonable costing lessons for her in Ondara at Hipica Ondara. The owner Jodi is very nice and it was great to see Sydney get really excited about riding horses again. www.hipicaondara.com. Hipica Ondara also offers 2 to 4 hour trail rides at a reasonable price. If no car is available, Hipica Ondara can be reached by bus or bike.

Horseback Riding

Siesta Time

After the long bike ride to and from Ondara enjoy a cerveza or glass of wine in one of the many restaurants and bars in Denia.

Museums

There are 3 museums in Denia: The Museum of Archeology, Toy museum, and Museum of Ethnology. The Museum of Archeology is found inside Denia Castle. See above for more information. The Toy Museum and Museum of Ethnology are located in the city center. The Toy Museum contains many of the toys produced in Denia from 1904 to the 1960’s. The Museum of Ethnology explores the importance of raisin production to Denia during the 19th century. Both the Toy Museum and Museum of Ethnology are free, but to be honest are only mildly interesting. However given that the museums are free and if you have spare time, it could be worth a look.

True, you will not find world-class museums or UNESCO world heritage sites in Denia. What you will find is a nice beach town with lots of outdoor activities and an atmosphere that encourages you to slow down and enjoy the small things in life. Hopefully this will give you an idea of activities to do, if you happen to decide that you would like to spend time exploring Denia. Here is an additional link for activities in Denia. www.denia.net Enjoy!